If you install Debian GNU/Linux in expert mode, like this guide in this site, some of the essential tools are not be installed.
Rev11
Add buster gpg related note.
Apt-Cacher NG (optional but recommended)
As a number of Debian hosts grows, downloading .deb files become a problem.
It consumes Debian mirror's bandwidth too much.
- Apt-Cacher NG is the very solution.
- It significantly increase the upgrade speed, too.
Server side
root# apt install apt-cacher-ng
Server & Clients
DIRECT is a fallback when the proxy is down.
root# nano /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/02-proxy
Acquire::http::Proxy "http://RAW_SERVER_IP_ADDRESS:3142";
Acquire::http::Proxy DIRECT;
Avoid using hostname.
Apt-Cacher NG Web UI
Bookmark http://{server-ip}:3142/acng-report.html.
Basic tools
The most biggest problem with minimum system installation might be a lack of man-db and less.
root# apt install less man-db # at least
root# apt install exfat-fuse # if you want it
gpg package
Debian stretch has gpg but buster does not on this minimal installation process.
If you need it, install gpg manually (buster).
Hint
exfat-fuse and using external USB storage formatted by exFAT is a simple way to backup tarballs.
We use gpg to encrypt those backup tarballs.
- In the box, data is encrypted by LUKS.
- Out of the box, data is encrypted by gpg.
Suspend to RAM (optional)
To suspend to RAM, we need s2ram in uswsusp package.
root# apt install uswsusp
Tip
To make machine suspended by power button, edit /etc/systemd/logind.conf, HandlePowerKey=suspend.
Make sure you enabled CPU C state support on BIOS.
System temperature
System temperature monitoring is very important.
Warm hardware does not last so long. Keep them cooled.
root# apt install lm-sensors
root# sensors-detect # follow its instruction.
...
Do you want to add these lines automatically to /etc/modules? (yes/NO)yes # your choice
root# /etc/init.d/kmod start
[ ok ] Starting kmod (via systemctl): kmod.service.
and then, you can know the temperatures by,
user$ sensors
It also tell you voltages and fan speeds provided the firmware support is available.
S.M.A.R.T. and NVMe device monitoring (optional)
To monitor HDD/SSD/NVMe health status, we need two packages.
root# apt install smartmontools nvme-cli
You should at least test your new HDD once.
It takes times, but it pays. Same could be said for SATA SSDs.
root# smartctl --test=extend /dev/sdX # e.g.
To check health status of storage device,
root# nvme list
root# nvme smart-log /dev/nvmeX # for NVMe
root# smartctl --all /dev/sdX # for SATA HDD and SSD
Cron for SSD/NVMe status check
It would be good to have some cron jobs to monitor SSD/NVMe health.
This tells us installed NVMe basic health status everyday, as syslog "nvme" entry (which would be sent as a part log logcheck summary mails).
For SATA SSDs, simply use smartmontools.
Debian handy tools (optional)
apt-file can search package by a file name.
root# apt install apt-file
root# apt-file update # should do this after upgrades
user$ apt-file search FILENAME # try ``s2ram`` for example.
Automatic System Upgrades (optional)
unattended-upgrades allows you to keep the box updated.
root# apt install unattended-upgrades
root# dpkg-reconfigure unattended-upgrades
Though it is quite rare, automatic-upgrades could be problem.
- You should subscribe to the debian security mailing list.
- You should do upgrades manually; know what and how, then do it.
Use this package with care.
Various Firmware binaries (optional)
There are two firmware packages, free and non-free.
- Typically, non-free firmware includes various hardware drivers.
- Especially, NVidia Video boards needs non-free binaries.
Warning
It become an important license issue when you re-distribute the system.
Free firmwares are installable without license issues.
root# apt install firmware-linux-free
For non-free firmwares, you have to add non-free in sources.list.
Warning
Again, please be careful when you re-distribute.
You only can do that without those non-free packages.
root# apt install firmware-linux-nonfree